The Rhythm in Wulu Village (霧鹿高八度)
Director:
Chun-hsiung Wang
Genre:
Documentary
Time:
75 min.
Language:
Mandarin, English subtitles
Rating:
4/5
The Rhythm in Wulu Village documents the struggle facing many indigenous Taiwanese peoples trying to preserve their unique culture in the face of modernization and the predominant Han culture on Taiwan. The film tracks how the Bunun people of Wulu Village attempt to preserve their culture through music; watch how Aboriginal children learn to sing in their Bunun language to maintain their identity. The film is stoic but leaves viewers with a sense of urgency and concern for preserving a unique and dying culture. This film is for anyone who wants to learn more about the somber realities facing Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.
From the back cover…
Wulu Village is a Bunun indigenous settlement located in the remote eastern mountainous region of Taiwan. The Bunun are famous among Taiwan’s indigenous groups for their polyharmonic choral singing, and almost all Bunun songs are sung in this style. In 1952, Japanese musicologist Takamoto Kurosawa presented the Bunun song “Tribute to Having a Good Harvest” (also known as “Pasibutbut,” a song in the style of an octophonic chorus) to the UNited Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. With its complex polyharmonic arrangement, “Pasibutbut” overturned Western musicologists’ theory that music was originally monotone, progressed to bitonality, and finally achieved polytonality.
Similar to many other indigenous peoples around the world, the Bunun are now faced with the danger that their culture and traditions will gradually disappear. Recognizing this problem, the Bunun people of Wulu have started the work of preserving their cultural heritage and passing it on to the younger generation. Traditional weaving skills, music, and langue are taught in schools by Bunun teachers. The Bunun have also established a choir, which practices singing during members’ free time and performs in public at the invitation of various organizations around the world.
Fearing that indigenous cultures will eventually be lost, director Chun-hsiung Wang came to Wulu, trying to find answers to his many questions by interviewing local people. Over the course of filming these interviews, the director found his beliefs challenged and his heart moved.
霧鹿位於台灣東部山區的一個遙遠布農族部落，布農族的音樂為台灣原住民中使用複音唱法最普遍的一族，幾乎所有歌曲皆為合唱刑式，西元1952年日本音樂學者黑澤隆朝將布農族的「pasibut-but祈禱小米豐收歌」(即「八度合音」)寄至聯合國的文教組織，其如此繁複的合音，徹底打破了西方音樂學家認為音樂的起源是由單音、雙音而發展至合音的理論。
時至今日，布農族人也跟許多世界上其他原住民一樣，必須面對傳統文化逐漸消失的危機。霧鹿的布農族人已經意識到布農文化面臨日漸消失 的問題，展開了保護與傳承文化的工作。原住民老師在學校傳授織布、音樂及母語；部落族人成立傳統音樂團，平日空閒時練習並接受其他單位邀請演唱。
預設著原住民傳統文化終就要消失的悲觀看法，導演帶著追蹤問題的心情而來，問起每個族人的想法，採訪的過程中出乎意料的，導演的心情開始動搖了。
